Charlie Gitto’s is a casual, but elegant fine Italian dining restaurant with three beautiful locations. They have been serving fine Italian cuisines since 1981 from their first location in the historic area of St Louis known as “The Hill.”

High quality food and service is what makes a restaurant successful. It is apparent that he pays a lot of attention to all of the details that the restaurants require. It would be easy for a restaurateur of his caliber to hire the pictures to be taken by a professional.

The staff is always professional, courteous and timely. You can tell from the moment you walk in that they are trained to make you feel special, at home and appreciated. They understand the value of quality service and that fact is apparent anytime you visit any of the three locations. Everything is made fresh from the bread to the desserts.

]]>http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/charlie-gittos-restaurant-review-by-st-louis-restaurant-review/feed/0Charlie Gitto’s On the Hill is a Diners’ Choice Winnerhttp://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/charlie-gittos-on-the-hill-is-a-diners-choice-winner/
http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/charlie-gittos-on-the-hill-is-a-diners-choice-winner/#commentsMon, 02 Feb 2015 22:24:48 +0000http://charliegittos.com/?p=618Charlie Gitto’s On the Hill location was selected for the OpenTable Diners’ Choice Awards this month.

Congratulations – our seasoned diners have selected your restaurant for the OpenTable Diners’ Choice Awards this month. From cocktails to dessert, they were impressed!

Our Diners’ Choice Award lists are designed to celebrate top-rated restaurants, giving them greater visibility on OpenTable.com. OpenTable diners love these lists and frequently use them to discover new places to book a table. Each month, we feature Diners’ Choice winners on our website and in seasonal emails that target all of our diners.

And, they’re not random or subjective – OpenTable Diners’ Choice winners are selected according to real feedback from diners who booked through us and dined with you (we know they actually seated and paid, too.) After their meal, we ask them to take a moment to review your restaurant. Check out what they raved about in your Restaurant Center profile.

We’re grateful for all the work you do to make your restaurant terrific.

It’s an ongoing battle to claim the original St. Louis toasted ravioli. Restaurant Impossible participant Mama Campisi’s maintains it is the home of the original t-rav, as does Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill. Either way, both legends revolve around the Oldani family. Strike another point for Charlie Gitto’s though: Thrillist named the restaurant’s toasted ravioli on its list of 33 iconic American foods.

The toasted ravioli is up there with real icons like pastrami at Katz’s Deli in New York and chicken and waffles at Roscoe’s in Los Angeles. Do you think Charlie Gitto’s deserves the title?

Charlie himself, through PR spokeswoman Tracey Whiltshire, told us that he was, of course, honored to be included on the list. “Charlie Gitto’s is the birthplace of the original toasted ravioli, 34 years ago. It’s handmade,” he said. “We are honored to be in an elite group representing St. Louis restaurants.”

Well, there you have it. Do you think Thrillist got it right? You voted Rigazzi’s the most overrated t-ravs, so at least that wasn’t Thrillist’s choice. Or should toasted ravioli even represent our city at all? Sound off in the comments — what’s St. Louis’ most iconic food?

]]>http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/tims-travels-charlie-gittos/feed/0Charlie Gitto’s on The Hill Celebrates 32 Years with Renovations, New Menu Itemshttp://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/charlie-gittos-on-the-hill-celebrates-32-years-with-renovations-new-menu-items/
http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/charlie-gittos-on-the-hill-celebrates-32-years-with-renovations-new-menu-items/#commentsWed, 24 Apr 2013 19:10:02 +0000http://charliegittos.com/?p=498Charlie Gitto’s on The Hill recently completed an extensive renovation of the restaurant’s space at 5226 Shaw Ave. The goal was to update the restaurant with new amenities but still keep the original, historic charm. Many of the unique attributes such as the round, stained glass window, wrap-around seating at the end of the bar and the famous “Charlie Gitto” booth were restored to their original splendor, according to a press release.

The entire bar was gutted and replaced with a new red onyx bar top and elongated back bar. The back bar was expanded to the ceiling to create a more functional space. The new light fixtures in the dining rooms are described as romantic with subtle gilded gold and black accents. The LaSorda room and Garden Rooms were re-carpeted and all of the restrooms were completely refurbished.

“The bar is phenomenal; definitely my favorite feature of the renovations,” says Samantha Vogt, who handles human resources and management system coordination for the restaurant. Overall, the renovations are, “elegant and formal; it’s who we are,”she says.

A tremendous amount of design, attention to detail and physical labor went into the renovation. The team members include Charlie Gitto, Jr., Paula Gitto, Debbie Donnelly, owner of Donnelly interiors, and Brian & Joe Hawkins from Hawkins Construction. Pam Hawkins, owner of PH Collections, created the art glass window in the men’s restroom.

Jim Nations with Nations Food Service Equipment supplied all the equipment and installation. Ted Liebig, owner of Stone Trends, fabricated the red onyx tops and new restroom tops. The painters from Brandan Painting Company applied a rich chocolate brown glaze on the wood paneling, as well as repainting the ceiling and walls with updated colors. The faux painters from Nettie White Interiors added their magic on the restroom walls and the dining room windows.

A good chance to check out the new renovations: Charlie Gitto’s on The Hill is one of many South St. Louis restaurants participating in this week’s Restaurant Week on The Hill, which runs through Sun., April 21.

]]>http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/charlie-gittos-on-the-hill-celebrates-32-years-with-renovations-new-menu-items/feed/0Restaurant Week on the Hill (and one more reason to go to Charlie Gitto’s)http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/restaurant-week-on-the-hill-and-one-more-reason-to-go-to-charlie-gittos/
http://charliegittos.com/charlie-gittos-in-the-news/restaurant-week-on-the-hill-and-one-more-reason-to-go-to-charlie-gittos/#commentsThu, 18 Apr 2013 18:43:56 +0000http://charliegittos.com/?p=492You may have (and if you follow @stlmag_relish), should have) known that the first annual Restaurant Week on the Hill began on Monday night and runs through next Sunday. You may have known that a dozen restaurants are participating. Chances are you’ve not been to one of them in a while, or at all. So go. Pick one. Make a reservation.

Restaurant Weeks are a chance for restaurant owners to squeeze some flesh, hug old friends, say hello new ones. It’s a chance for them to show off. To reemphasize who they are and what they do.

On Monday night, Charlie Gitto. Jr., did just that. He threw a party to celebrate the completion of the renovation of the his 32-year-old restaurant, Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill, the former Angelo’s on the Hill, the place where a certain scribe had his first taste of toasted ravioli at about age 8. Gitto’s on the Hill is one of several alleged birthplaces of that pillowy part of our heritage.

The famous “Charlie Gitto” corner booth was restored; gold and black chandeliers were hung; bathrooms were spiffed up. But the most dramatic improvement was to the bar. The back bar was raised, graciously, to the ceiling, and the wooden bartop replaced with one made from red onyx. Subtly lit from below, the effect is dramatic. Mesmerizing is not an overstatement.

And that’s the reason for this missive. Make a reservation for Restaurant Week on the Hill. Gitto, Jr. (below, leaning on the new bartop) would love if you chose his place, but even if you don’t, stop in for a glass of wine, or just to check out that onyx. If you’re lucky, Charlie will tell you the provenance of the toasted rav. He might even let you try one. Ah, but nobody can eat just one.

Like any good superhero, culinary or otherwise, toasted ravioli has quite the origin story.

Actually, it has several origin stories, none of which can be definitively proven or disproven. The most prevalent anecdote is that the St. Louis staple was invented in the 1940s when a chef accidentally dropped ravioli in hot oil instead of boiling water. This ostensibly took place at Angelo’s Pasta House, which is now Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill. Of course, the folks at Mama’s on the Hill claim it originated there. Lombardo’s is also famous for the dish, as is Rigazzi’s.

The true history of toasted ravioli has been lost in the sands of time, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty. Today is National Ravioli Day (we don’t know what semi-influential figure declared it so, but God love him), and to celebrate, we’ve rounded up the best toasted ravioli in St. Louis. While citizens in lesser other cities mark this day of days by eating plain ol’ boiled ravioli, here in the city where dreams are born, we will be feasting on t-ravs.

Charlie Gitto’s(5226 Shaw Avenue; 314-772-8898) Of course the most widely accepted supposed birthplace of toasted ravioli is on the list. Charlie Gitto’s stuffs its tiny ravioli with a mixture of meat, cheese and spinach, and the shells are fried to crispy perfection. Top that off with grated Parmesan, and you have a truly traditional plate of t-ravs worthy of the title “original.”